LOS ANGELES (AP)
-- AFL-CIO President John Sweeney told churchgoers Sunday they
must fight "peacefully but passionately" to protect
the future of their children by extending health coverage and
increasing minimum wage.

Outside, a group of about 50 union workers
picketed, claiming Sweeney refuses to hear their complaints and
contending his messages were "full of hot air."

Sweeney, in town for the AFL-CIO's 23rd biennial
convention, told thecongregation at Phillips Temple Christian
Methodist Episcopal Church that all people want equality, freedom
and respect and his mission is to bring the goals of unions and
religion closer together. "I have been inspired by how the people
of faith and the people of union movements can walk common ground
... towards social justice and human dignity," he said.

Other labor leaders and Assembly Speaker
Antonio Villaraigosa were on hand to support Sweeney and urge
people to work together to improve working conditions. "We
have to start organizing again," Villaraigosa said. "The
union movement is here because they're coming together around
the idea that working people have a right to a quality of life,
have a right to a living wage, have a right to that American
dream." Working people are entitled to improve conditions
by organizing unions and their employers should "hear their
voices and respect their choices," Sweeney added.

Outside, church leaders held back protesters
who were carrying signs with messages like: "Gore,
Bradley and Sweeney, stop stealing our money," and "One
union, one vote." "Stop the corruption," they chanted
as they surrounded the car carrying Sweeney as he tried to leave.
"We are rank-and-file workers who are getting crushed by
the AFL," said Jeannete Gabriel, of Workers Democracy Network,
based in New York. "The AFL is doing everything it can to
ignore us and are cutting deals with the bosses who hurt us."
Because so many members are being denied the right to be heard
nside the meetings, "we've had to come to the streets,"
she said.

Steve Zeltzer, another member of Workers
Democracy Network, said "union workers who try to fight
back are "threatened and terrorized." Sweeney heads
an organization that is trying to stamp out union democrac",
he claimed. "What kind of labor movement do we have when
members are afraid to speak up at union meetings?" he asked.